If you are in the tourism business or in the hotel industry, you probably know that customers are not only attracted by the beautiful buildings and state of the art structures but by the hotel technology and amenities available. You may have a very big, well-built hotel but without the little luxuries, technological facilities and equipment you will lose out on customers. Therefore, as a hotel owner, manager or operator you need to up your game as far as the latest technology trends are concerned. The following are some of the top trends in hotel technology for this year.
Device and Entertainment Autonomy
Today, everyone traveling from one place to another or from one state to another owns an electronic device or gadget. For example a laptop, a camera, a tablet, phone or any other electronic device that they can use for entertainment or for communication on the go. Studies show that 45% of hotel guests travel with two devices while 40% of other hotel guests travel with three or more devices. This means that a huge percentage of hotel guests use these devices quite often and the best way to attract them is by making your hotel become device and entertainment autonomous.
Virtual Bookings
Today 57% of travel reservations are made through the internet whereby you just login into an airlines website and make your bookings. On top of that, 65% of same day hotel reservations are made from smart phones. This simply shows how technology is making work and travel easier. You don’t have to move from one town to another to make a hotel reservation.
Therefore to maximize on this trend invest in cloud-based PMS (property management system) that will give you the ability to update in real time and to your customers an ease of access to view what is on offer and make reservations.
The Billboard Effect
There is 14% increase in direct bookings during Online Travel Agency listing. This indicates an increase in offline bookings of hotels when they are listed on an OTA. On top of that there is 1.5% increase in Average Daily Rate (ADR) during OTA listing. Therefore it is important to capture greater visibility on the internet.
Free Wi-Fi
Internet connection is becoming a necessity to almost all travelers today. For instance according to a study 38% of guests reported that Wi-Fi was an important factor to consider when booking a hotel. 85% of these travelers want access to free Wi-Fi in hotels. If you have the ability to provide free Wi-Fi connection to all your guests well and good. But for starters you can provide this service to guests who have extended stay, who stay in full service rooms, to gold and platinum members or to those who enroll in select programs.
Car Booking Engine
During and after having guests in your hotel offer them a chance through a car booking engine to book cars of their own choice to transport them in and outside the hotel. This will guarantee their safety and act as a bench mark in the industry. Your customers will be pleased with the arrangement if it is timely and efficient.